Saturday, April 14, 2012

People’s organizations and green groups accuse the Aquino government
not only of reneging on its promise to pursue renewable sources of
energy but also of contriving the power crisis in Mindanao to railroad
the construction of coal-fired power plants. By MARYA SLAMATBulatlat.com

MANILA – A multi-sectoral rally in Davao marked the ongoing power
summit today as various people’s organizations expressed doubts over the
motives of the stakeholders in the said summit. “It is more
advantageous for the people and the economy of Mindanao to harness
renewable energy sources,” said Juland R. Suazo, spokesperson of
Panalipdan, a broad alliance of environmentalists and people’s
organizations in Southern Mindanao.

So far though, based on the Aquino government’s actions in response
to the Mindanao power crisis, harnessing renewables does not seem to be
its priority. Instead, the Aquino government and some energy capitalists
are seen as railroading the approval of coal-fired power plants and
further privatization of existing power plants, all of which have long
been rejected by people of Mindanao.

Today’s ongoing summit has also been preempted by what
environmentalists described as “hasty” approval of coal power plants.
The construction of at least three is now reportedly being fast-tracked,
to the dismay of protesting host communities.

Renewable energy sources abound in Mindanao. Pursuing it is viable,
the sources are available and the prices are competitive, said Von
Hernandez, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia. Mindanao is
sitting on a veritable “gold mine” of renewable energy sources that have
yet to be tapped, he said.

Unfortunately the government seems to be reneging on the promise
Benigno “Noynoy” C. Aquino III made before he assumed the presidency. He
said then that he was for the phase-out of coal power and that the
country must make the serious shift toward clean energy sources.
According to Hernandez of Greenpeace, it has been nearly three years
since the Renewable Energy Bill became law. But it is not yet being
implemented up to now. He said in Filipino that the Aquino government is
“sleeping on the job when it comes to issuing decisions over proposals
for renewable energy sources. On the other hand, it is fast-tracking
left and right approval and implementation of coal-fired power plants.”

Davao and Zambo up in arms vs coal-fired plants

Two adjacent but separate coal-fired power plants, with a total of
300MW capacity once operational, have reportedly begun construction in
Davao del Sur.... MORESource: The Daily Tribune

A ceasefire in Syria seems to be have been broken after troops
clashed with rebels in many parts of the country, reportedly killing
five people. The UN Security Council is debating a new resolution to
authorize an observer mission in Syria.

­UN Security Council members met behind closed doors Friday to
discuss a draft resolution that would allow an observer mission to be
dispatched to Syria “as soon as possible,” as requested by Kofi Annan.

Russia’s UN envoy Vitaly Churkin admitted that “it is crucial for the monitors to be on the ground”
in Syria. He said however that more negotiation would be needed over
the draft resolution, as the text was longer and more complicated than
expected..... MORE

Most of Iran's tanker fleet is now operating in "off-radar" mode.
Tehran has ordered the captains of its 39-strong oil fleet to turn off
the tracking devices aboard the tankers in order to disguise the
destination of its oil shipments.

­Only seven of Iran’s crude oil carriers are still visible via the
AIS (Automatic Identification System) tracking system, Reuters reported
on Friday. Neither the captains from the National Iranian Tanker Co nor
the purchasers of Iranian crude have given any official comments on the
situation.

"NITC oil tankers are going to operate in stealth mode," the report cites an unidentified oil shipping industry official as saying..... MORESource: RT.com

Climatologists say a dry spell devastating almost all of America is
starting to worry the weather community during what is one of the worst
droughts in recent years.

The federal agency that investigates dry weather, the US Drought
Monitor, says that more than half of the continental United States are
experiencing “abnormally dry” conditions, which have so far proven to be
the worst the country has experienced since 2007.

According to Anakbayan, one youth or student leader has been victimized every week.By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL

MANILA – Progressive youth group Anakbayan condemned the harassment
of two students from the University of the Philippines–Manila by
suspected military agents. Anakbayan members Cleve Arguelles, outgoing
vice-chairperson of UP Manila University Student Council, and Nikki
Gamara were reportedly subjected to surveillance and harassment last
April 2 and 3.

“We condemn the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Aquino
administration for this latest attack on our members” Anakbayan national
chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.

According to the fact sheet, on April 2 Monday at around 7:00 p.m.,
an unidentified woman went to Arguelles’ residence saying that she was
lost and was looking for someone named “Nikki” but was unable to give a
surname. Fellow UP Manila student Nikki Gamara was in the house visiting
Arguelles at that time.
Gamara and Arguelles became suspicious because the house is located
at the very back of a compound, and that the place is not visible to
passersby from the main street.

(Photo courtesy of Cleve Aguelles Facebook account / Bulatlat.com)

On April 3, Tuesday at around 7:00 p.m., Arguelles and Gamara
received a report that Gamara’s father, Renante Gamara of the partylist
group Bayan Muna, together with Santiago Balleta, was arrested by the
police and military in Las Piñas earlier that day. Balleta is the father
of Jane Balleta of the Morong 43, a group of health workers who were arrested and detained in Feb. 6, 2010.

Arguelles then accompanied Gamara to her family’s house at around
11:00 p.m. of the same day . When Arguelles was going home, after around
30 minutes of commuting, he noticed that a black Toyota Corolla was
following him. He then transferred to other jeeps twice but the car
continued to tail him. Arguelles went inside a fastfood restaurant..... MORE

“The amended law turns a blind eye to the realities of poverty and
unemployment that heightens women’s vulnerability to trafficking,
prostitution and slavery.” – Rep. Luz Ilagan, Gabriela Women’s PartyBy INA ALLECO SILVERIOBulatlat.com
Women legislators of Gabriela Women’s Party have denounced anew the
Benigno Aquino administration for signing into law a measure that
criminalizes women forced into exploitative situations by poverty. Reps.
Emmi de Jesus and Luz Ilagan said President Aquino declared that
prostituted women are criminals when he signed Republic Act 10158, or An
Act Decriminalizing Vagrancy.

It is the consolidated version of Senate Bill 2726 and House Bill
493, which decriminalizes all forms of vagrancy and effectively repealed
the law on vagrancy – a law widely criticized as being anti-poor. The
amended law, however, declared that prostitution – an outcome of
vagrancy – is a crime. It was submitted to Aquino last March 7, 2012
and signed into law on April 7.

“The administration is perpetuating the archaic view contained in
Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code, but, at the same time, it allows
the exploiters of women and those who earn from their exploitation to go
scott-free,” De Jesus said..... MORE

Sen.
Miriam Defensor-Santiago has called for an investigation in the upper
chamber into the alleged toxic chemicals found in some cosmetics and
other personal care items used by men, reported to have caused various
diseases, including cancer and male-health effects.

Santiago
raised alarm over the reports and moved for a conduct of an inquiry, in
aid of legislation, and possibly determine the need to introduce and
implement so-called toxic reduction strategies in cosmetics and other
consumer products.

“Given the dangers of everyday exposure to
toxic chemicals found in beauty products, the government should ban
outright the use of toxic substance in cosmetics and other consumer
products,” she said in filing Resolution No. 749..... MORE

04/14/2012
He is known to his constituents as the “Father of the Masses” but
former President Joseph Estrada has earned another title: “Father of
e-commerce.”

The former leader was given yesterday by E-Best the “Father of e-commerce” award for pioneering e-commerce in the Philippines.

In
presenting the award, Corazon Chan, Chairman of E-Best declared:
“President Joseph Ejercito Estrada has always been an advocate of
technology.”

“During his administration he signed the Philippine E-Commerce Act into
law on June 14, 2000. President Estrada has always been hopeful that the
Philippines is in a good position to gain a good part of the cyber
information technology (IT)-related markets. .... MORE

The
militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the
Katipunan ng mga Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (Kasama-TK)
yesterday condemned the abduction of Pagkakaisa’t Ugnayan ng mga
Magsasaka sa Laguna (Pumalag — KMP) chairman Alex Arias, who was
abducted by suspected state security forces last April 7, and demanded
the Aquino government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to
immediately produce him.

Reports reaching the KMP national office
said Arias, 56, was driving a motorcycle on his way home to Liliw,
Laguna last Saturday when his way was blocked by armed men in Barangay
Bubukal in Sta. Cruz town. The armed men, believed to be elements of the
1st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army were on a van escorted by
a number of motorcycles..... MORE

04/14/2012
Vice President Jejomar Binay has urged food manufacturers in the country to include local dairy products in their ingredients.

“The
(food manufacturers) are big firms and their products are sold from
Aparri to Jolo and abroad. Their products are also used by other big
companies in making bread and other foodstuffs. Our local producers must
be tapped to supply their demand for milk products,” Binay said during
his visit to the Philippine Carabao Center in Muñoz Nueva Ecija
Tuesday..

This public-private partnership was the key to improving
the carabao and livestock industry in the country, the Vice President
said..... MORE

People’s
champ Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is poised to take his oath as a
member, not of the Liberal Party (LP) of President Aquino, but of the
Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) of Vice
President Jejomar Binay.

Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
yesterday announced Pacquiao’s impending formal entry into their party
which recently led the forming of the coalition called United
Nationalist Alliance alongside former President Joseph Estrada’s Partido
Masang Pilipino.

Pimentel, who is the current PDP-Laban
president, said it’s “all systems go” as far as Pacquiao is concerned in
joining their party following what he called a “meeting of the minds”
recently..... MORE

04/14/2012
Two people were wounded when an explosion rocked a gas station in Quezon City before noon yesterday.

Quezon
City Police District (QCPD) report said the incident happened at around
11:40 a.m. when a truck with plate number RCB 885 loaded with diesel
was unloading fuel at a City Oil branch located in Barangay Talayan,
Quezon City.

Wounded were Jerome Nava, an employee of the gas station, and Eddie Magada, the truck driver.
Magada’s
body was caught fire the report said, He sustained burn injuries and is
now being treated at the East Avenue Medical Center while Nava
sustained wounds when metal fragments from the exploded truck hit him..... MORE